Students in Online Degree Programs Balance Life, Learning

Time poverty.

Patty Milner of the University of Arkansas calls time poverty the biggest challenge post-traditional adult students face in a new article titled “Redefining Student Success by Evolving Services for Modern Learners.”

Milner is assistant vice provost for innovation and the online student experience at the Global Campus. She wrote the article published recently by The EvoLLLution online publication that describes itself as “created by and for those who understand the challenges and opportunities in higher education best.”

She described time poverty as the experience many students have when “the competing needs and priorities of a student already doing all the things most of us do in our everyday lives – working full time, caring for family members, engaging in our communities – who then makes the enormously brave decision to return to school to earn a degree or credential.”

Milner leads a team at Global Campus that both recruits students for online degree programs and provides student services from the first inquiry through graduation. Post-traditional students – those who are balancing other life demands such as work and caregiving – are the new majority, according to her article.

“These students require a new level of flexibility to access the benefits of attaining a degree or credential,” Milner said.

Academic colleges at the U of A offer more than 90 online degree, licensure and certificate programs. These programs expand higher education to students who can’t leave their communities because they work and care for families. Statistics show U of A students in online degree programs could be prone to time poverty.

A 2024 survey of U of A students studying online found 81% work full time and 51% are parenting, according to the 2024 annual report of the Global Campus. The average age of students in undergraduate online programs is 31, and the average age of students in online graduate programs is 35.

Post-traditional students benefit from a universal design-inspired model adopted across all aspects of the student experience, Milner said, taking the position that all operations a student interacts with are learning points and should be accessible, inclusive, equitable and challenge students to grow and develop new skills and knowledge. Accordingly, her staff adopted a model of thinking about all of their processes from the viewpoint of someone who has never interacted with a higher education institution before and needs to have accessible, supportive resources to reach their goals.

 

Syllabus Vital Tool

Experiences of some students enrolled in University of Arkansas online degree programs may be useful to others getting started. They say a course syllabus may be the most important tool for time management. A syllabus is an outline or guide to what a student will learn in a course, and it includes dates that assignments are due and tests will be given. In an online course, some instructors release an entire semester’s worth of lessons at the start of the course. Others release one lesson per week or several lessons every few weeks. Regardless, the student can use the syllabus to map out what is expected during the course and plan appropriately.

“My planner is my best friend,” said Kylan Williams, who earned a Master of Science in Operations Management in the spring of 2024. Williams works as a resource conversationist for the USDA-National Resources Conservation Service. A team leader, he covers five offices for the USDA in Central Arkansas.

A course syllabus gave him the information he needed to put in his planner along with work details and family commitments so that he could get everything done that he needed to be successful. A planner, which can be digital on your phone or on paper in a notebook, typically contains a calendar and extra pages or space for notes and other information helpful to keep at hand.

“Whenever you first start something new, it can kind of be hard to adapt your schedule to what you already have going,” Williams said. “But it’s very rewarding to be able to do things you do on a day-to-day basis and do something a little bit extra and get your degree.”

Candice Groves, who teaches French and journalism at Blytheville High School, earned a Master of Education in educational technology last spring.

“We would have our syllabus,” she said when asked what advice she would give someone considering enrolling in an online degree program. “We would know what our assignments were going to be; we would know when everything is due. Just go ahead, look and see what’s happening this week: Is this going to be a heavy assignment week? Is this going to be something you can take your time with? That way I could plan everything that’s happening during the week around my course schedule as well and it just worked out.”

Students said the flexibility of studying online saves them time. There is no time spent driving and parking and other tasks required for transitions such as changing locations. Jennifer Haney, who works from her home in Logan County, said studying online allowed her to earn a graduate degree while allowing her to maintain her home and work balance. Like Williams, she earned a Master of Science in Operations Management.

“I want to spend time with my family,” Haney said.

 

Psychological Take

A Forbes magazine article published last March suggested time may be the most important resource there is. It defined time poverty as experiencing a lack of sufficient time to fulfill responsibilities, pursue interests or engage in activities that contribute to one’s well-being due to various demands on their time.

The Forbes article offered four ways to use time mindfully and fight the effects of time poverty based on a 2024 study published in Frontiers in Psychology:

• Align actions with core values: reflect on inner values, clarify personal goals, take action.
• Create a balanced life: decide priorities, establish clear boundaries, build a support system you can rely on.
• Unlearn procrastination: recognize triggers such as fear of failure, perfectionism and overwhelm; break large tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
• Establish a sense of personal control: focus on the present moment, savor time, appreciate the significance of what you do every day.

 

Learn more

The Online Learner blog offers more information about time management and how to set up your study space to work more efficiently. You can also read more about the experiences of students studying online on the student success page.